


Remember Me (And My Coffee Order)

by babieken



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: Fluff, Gay Panic, M/M, bruh i wrotw this a month ago idr whats in it sdkjksd, photographer x model au, sensitive hyunggu, shy yuto, uh............., wooseok is me tbh, yuto is a big dumbass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:02:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28476618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babieken/pseuds/babieken
Summary: “I’m sorry Hyung, they didn’t make your special drink so I got everyone ice americanos and two decafs, in case anyone wanted one.”Yuto watched as Hyunggu went from having the brightest smile in the room to pouting as he hunched forward. His manager lightly patted his shoulder and encouraged him to try an americano instead. ‘But I want my Venti iced skinny hazelnut Macchiato sugar free syrup light ice no whip….’
Relationships: Adachi Yuto/Kang Hyunggu | Kino
Comments: 11
Kudos: 37





	Remember Me (And My Coffee Order)

**Author's Note:**

> hiii unis!!! I hope you like this uwu it's my first pentagon work....

The sound of Yuto’s shoes echoed in the dimly lit hallway as he walked down towards the studio. It was still early, too early; even the other tenants hadn't started work yet, so the building was completely silent. Well, at least until Yuto switched the lights on and the soft buzz of the lamps filled the room. He debated opening the blinds too, but decided against it for now. It was still fairly dark outside anyway. From there he made his way to the kitchenette on auto pilot. Yuto usually liked to have his first coffee much later than he woke up, because his empty stomach didn’t do well with it, but he wasn't feeling it today. Green tea, maybe? He filled the small electric kettle and turned it on anyway.

Kettle set, Yuto walked towards his record shelf, picking a classic R&B disc, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite, to fill the silence of the studio. At least until Wooseok came in and changed it to something more recent and less pleasant to the ears. The kettle beeped softly, pulling him back to the kitchenette. He had already decided on green tea, as it had less caffeine and it would help with his concentration, or so science said. That said he definitely wasn’t going to have coffee today, even though he had barely slept the previous night. He couldn’t shoot with shaky hands and that was what caffeine would do to him, proven by past experiences. And to be honest he didn’t even think he needed it, the excitement for the shoot in combination with his morning run already did a good enough job waking him up.

Yuto poured the tea into the biggest mug he had, leaving it on the counter to cool just a bit while he splashed his plants some water. He’d learned that it’s better to give them small amounts of water more frequently instead of waiting a week and soaking them, because chances were he’d forget after a week. Somehow he hadn’t killed any of his plants yet; small miracles. 

Breathing in the steam of the tea before taking a sip, Yuto sighed as the liquid slid down his throat and warmed his whole body up from the inside out. He checked the time on his phone; 6:47am. He’d have the studio to himself for another hour and a half, maybe two if Wooseok was late, and he planned on making the most of it. There were a dozen emails he needed to answer and then some editing left to do. Nothing last minute or urgent thankfully so he wouldn’t have to stress about them. He left the heavy work for Wooseok on purpose. The new backdrops and the items Yuto had ordered for today’s shoot arrived yesterday just before he closed the studio for the night, so he’d just left them in the corner to organize them in the morning. After all, he had hours until the client would be here for the shoot.

His mug was half empty by the time he finally made it to the editing room and turned on the computers. Answering emails was easy, mindless work. Almost no concentration was needed, his fingers typing out the same sentences on muscle memory. And so, his mind wandered. Wandered to the pictures he’d been staring at for the past few weeks. Pictures of Hyunggu; his new client.

Kang Hyunggu, better known as Kino, a new rising star in the modeling industry. With his sharp yet soft features and his piercing eyes, he was catching everyone’s attention. Hyunggu was a dancer who had had to quit due to a severe leg injury, but he was happy with his new gig — or at least that’s what Yuto had read in some magazine. Either way, there was no doubt that he was amazing at modeling, years of dancing having carved his body like a Roman statue. Hyunggu was all soft curves and sharp edges. A fresh talent and a new face that everyone wanted a piece of. Yuto hated to think of himself as one of them; he really wasn’t. He didn’t approach Hyunggu’s agency to try to land himself a shoot even once. Yuto was not a vulture, he’d already made a name for himself as a freelancer in the business and was respected by many, many big name brands and magazines, he did not need to have Hyunggu in his portfolio. But that’s not to say he didn’t want to — quite the contrary, actually — so he was more than delighted when he received a call from the model’s agent three weeks ago.

It was natural to study your subjects before a shoot. Yuto wanted to know all of Hyunggu’s best angles and his preferred poses, wanted to know which lights looked better on him, what colors complimented his skin tone better. So he’d been looking at spreads of every photoshoot the man had ever done — had even watched some of his dancing videos. Hyunggu was breathtaking on the stage, his body moved so effortlessly, he could move as softly as silk or as sharp as a blade when needed. His facial expressions were a whole other story; Hyunggu had mastered controlling them early into his dancing career. It was no wonder he was doing so well as a model. Not only could he control almost every muscle in his body, but he could also look as intense or as relaxed as he needed to as well. This was a skill a lot of models struggled with. Hours of shooting in sometimes uncomfortable positions made it difficult for the amateurs and even some professionals to maintain their facial expressions. 

Not that that would be the case today. As much as Yuto wanted to take Hyunggu outside and have an outdoor shoot, it was winter which meant it was windy almost every day and they’d wanted an indoor shoot anyway. They had agreed on the theme and the color palette over several phone calls and emails throughout the last three weeks with the manager and the publicist. A stylist and a makeup artist would accompany Hyunggu from the company, but Yuto would be directing the shoot otherwise. They trusted his judgment.

“Whassup!” 

Yuto flinched in his seat at the sudden sound that came from behind him, almost knocking his mug over.

“For god’s sake, Wooseok! Why?” Yuto turned his chair, looking at his assistant standing at the door of the editing room who was far too cheery for eight in the morning.

“What? I just said Whassup, it’s not my fault you were daydreaming about Hyunggu,” the younger said as he shrugged off his coat and threw it on the back of the other chair.

“W..What? I wasn’t-” He stuttered. Yuto, 26-year-old Adachi Yuto, stuttered like a nervous schoolboy.

“Relax, I’m just messing with you! Wait, unless…” Wooseok’s eyes went wide at the realization. Yuto punched himself on the head for being stupid.

“Less talking, we have work to do,” Yuto said, clapping his hands as he stood up, his knees screaming in pain as he did. Fuck, how long was he sitting there for? At least he’d gotten his work done. 

“Yeah, I saw the packages in the corner by the kitchen and you’re too old to move heavy stuff on your own.”

“Brat.”

..

It was noon by the time they’d finished moving the new stuff around and set everything up for today’s shoot, leaving both of them exhausted. They usually went out for lunch if they didn’t have a project on hand; Yuto preferred going out of the studio at least once a day, but they didn’t have time so they ordered in. Yuto was thankful for the cold weather — at least they didn’t sweat after all the moving around — but his clothes were looking a bit dusty.

“You brought your tux, right?” Wooseok said with his mouth full when he saw Yuto dusting off his sweater.

“Pardon?”

“You're not meeting the man of your wet dreams in that, right?” the younger snickered, checking Yuto top to bottom.

“What’s wrong with my clothes?” Yuto asked, completely ignoring the first part of Wooseok’s sentence. He may or may not have spent days choosing his outfit for this shoot. Something casual, but stylish. A pair of loose cream cotton trousers and an oversized knit sweater a shade or two darker, paired with white shoes. 

“I mean… I can see you tried. Not a single black item.” Wooseok rubbed his chin and shrugged.

“I… first of all I didn’t dress up for anyone — I’m just trying to wear more colors. And secondly…uh,” shit, that was about as far ahead Yuto had thought.

“Secondly?” the younger raised an eyebrow, looking at him expectantly, a smirk threatening to break onto his face any second depending on what answer Yuto would give him.

“Secondly, mind your own business. Finish your food, I want to check the lighting one more time.”

“Oh come on! We checked it like four times already!”

They had ended up not opening the blinds all day. There was no point when they didn’t have a shoot that needed natural light and they were busy. Hyunggu and his team were scheduled to be at the studio around 2pm, depending on how long Hyunggu’s previous schedule took. Yuto didn’t ask what it was. Could’ve been an appointment with his dermatologist or his dietitian, or an interview or an ad shooting. Who knows.

The color palette and the theme of the shoot were deep shades of cream-yellow-orange. Orange, specifically in deep and saturated tones is a fairly difficult color to photograph especially if it contrasts strongly with the other colors. Not that Yuto had any complaints — he was a professional and he would do his best to make it work; especially when orange looked so good on Hyunggu. The man pulled off warm colors so well that Yuto couldn’t say no to the proposed color palette.

.. 

They arrived at exactly 2:25 in a group of five: Hyunggu, his manager, a stylist, a makeup artist, and a hairstylist. Yuto could tell from the stuff each of them were carrying. They all exchanged quick greetings and introductions, then the stylists followed Wooseok to the room they would be using, leaving Hyunggu and his manager with Yuto.

“It’s nice to meet you Yuto-ssi, I’m looking forward to working with you,” Hyunggu smiled — the kind of smile that reached his eyes and made his whole face light up — and shook Yuto’s hand in his smaller ones, the tips of his fingers a little cold. He looked amazing; his base makeup was already done and there were small hair clips on his platinum white hair that made him look adorable.

“You too, Kino-ssi; can I offer you guys anything?” Yuto smiled back, hoping he didn’t look as flushed as he felt. Hyunggu was… nothing like he expected and that was somehow worse. 

Yuto was expecting him to have the same cool and sorta untouchable aura around him, with his sharp gaze and intense expression, as he did in the media, but Hyunggu walked into his studio like sunshine personified. The room suddenly felt too bright. He was so bright and bubbly and the contrast between what Yuto was experiencing first hand and what he had seen from pictures and clips of him was making him feel dizzy.

“Oh, I sent my assistant to buy everyone drinks from the cafe across the street. He should be back any minute,” The manager spoke from beside Hyunggu.

“Yeah!” Hyunggu nodded in agreement before looking back at Yuto again, eyes going a little wide. “Is that Maxwell? Oh, I love this album!” He beamed, small hands coming in front of his chest and making tiny clapping motion without actually clapping. It was so cute that Yuto wanted to cry. And it was just then Yuto realized they hadn’t changed the record all day.

“It’s one of my favorite albums,” Yuto said, unable to look at Hyunggu. “It’s been playing all day…”

“Oh my god, I like you so much already!” 

Yuto felt like he was choking on his tongue at Hyunggu’s words, but he was saved from having to react to it with the assistant walking in with eight cups of what seemed to be iced americanos.

“Hi! Sorry, the line was kinda long.” The guy, who seemed younger than everyone, panted. He greeted everyone with quick bows. 

“I’m sorry Hyung, they didn’t make your special drink so I got everyone ice americanos and two decafs, in case anyone wanted one.”

Yuto watched as Hyunggu went from having the brightest smile in the room to pouting as he hunched forward. His manager lightly patted his shoulder and encouraged him to try an americano instead. ‘But I want my Venti iced skinny hazelnut Macchiato sugar free syrup light ice no whip….’ Yuto heard Hyunggu mumble in the most adorable annoyed voice he had ever heard his entire life. He felt like he should apologize for his studio being located across from such a shitty cafe.

“I’ll take a decaf please,” Yuto called, taking a cup from the younger boy, trying to distract himself from Hyunggu’s adorable tantrum.

“Hyunggu-ya, come here I need to finish your makeup,” The makeup artist called from the other room and Yuto watched the model walk towards the sound with his back hunched, still frowning.

_ Venti iced skinny hazelnut Macchiato sugar-free syrup light ice no whip.Venti iced skinny hazelnut Macchiato sugar-free syrup light ice no whip.  _ Yuto repeated in his head before calling his assistant over.

“What happened? Who killed his puppy in the two minutes I was gone?” the younger asked, having seen Hyunggu’s face as he passed the room. Yuto saw him leave the americano his manager gave him on top of the drawer without even taking a sip. 

Yuto took his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled a few bills out and handed them to the younger.

“Listen carefully — Actually, take out your phone and type this. Venti iced skinny hazelnut Macchiato sugar-free syrup light ice no whip,” He whispered leaning forward into Wooseok’s personal space.

“Wait what, hold on. Venti iced skinny hazelnut  _ what _ ?”

“Venti iced skinny hazelnut Macchiato sugar-free syrup light ice no whip,” he repeated, this time slower, hovering over Wooseok’s phone as he typed to make sure he didn’t get anything wrong.

“Okay, so what the hell am I supposed to do with this now?”

“You go to the Starbucks two blocks down and buy it,” Yuto said, like it was obvious. Which it was. Why else would he give the younger a long ass coffee order out of nowhere?

Wooseok gave him a look that said ‘Like hell I am.’ so Yuto pulled a few more bucks out and added them to the pile on Wooseok’s giant hands.

“Here, get yourself a doughnut or something too. Just finish it on the way.”

“You think you can bribe me with a doughnut?” Yuto knew he could. “Alright fine…” Wooseok grunted as he walked past the older and towards the door. Thankfully he didn’t get the chance to ask ‘who’ the coffee was for or Yuto would never have heard the end of it.

Yuto could see half of Hyunggu’s face through the mirror in front of the model and he was still frowning. Yuto was just trying to help himself really. Just so they wouldn’t have to deal with a sulky Hyunggu for hours. No other reason. Now Yuto just had to pray that Wooseok’s long ass legs would hurry before the stylists were finished with Hyunggu’s preparations. He made himself busy by moving a few accessories around for no reason.

Wooseok was back in under 10 minutes which was a record and he looked too pleased with himself for some reason. Yuto met him in the hallway connecting the entrance to the main area, reaching for the large fancy cup in Wooseok’s hand but the younger held it up, looking down on him with a dirty smirk. Fuck. He must've figured it out on the way.

“Nuh uh uh. Not so fast. It occurred to me on the way how I never asked who this was for. You’re definitely not a… whatever-the-heck-this-monstrosity-is type,” Yuto rolled his eyes at the younger. It was obvious he already knew and he was just teasing. And wasting time.

“It’s for Kino; that’s why he was sulking. Now give it to me so we can get our sunshine back and begin the shoot.”

“Sunshine! Awww… you already gave him a nickname? That’s sweet, but I’m not letting you take credit for  _ my  _ hard work.” Wooseok said with a smug face as if he’d moved a mountain.

“Wooseok, stop playing games. Give me the damn coffee — ”

“Is that..?” 

They both turned towards the voice coming from behind them. It was thankfully the manager and not the model. Wooseok lowered his arm, probably embarrassed for getting caught acting like a 5-year-old and Yuto snatched the coffee out of his hand the second he had the chance to.

“Yeah. There’s a Starbucks just a couple of blocks down,”

“That’s very kind of you. Really,” the manager smiled at him genuinely, like Yuto had saved him from a lot of trouble. For a second Yuto thought the manager would take the drink to give to Hyunggu himself but instead, he patted him on the back, sort of like encouragement to go on.

Suddenly Yuto got nervous, wishing the older man would take the drink and deliver it for him but it was too late. He walked towards the room where he could see the stylist had hung the outfits neatly on the hangers and was in the middle of steaming what was probably the first outfit Hyunggu was going to wear. It looked like the model’s makeup was done and the hairstylist was just doing finishing touches.

Yuto put his free hand in his pocket, trying to look cool and collected. He was once again thankful for not having coffee in the morning (and the decaf americano which he’d only had half of, not wanting to take bathroom breaks in the middle of the shoot). He debated whether to tap the model on the shoulder and hand him the drink or to leave it on the table in front of him. He had arrived beside Hyunggu still without a decision, so he went with his gut and put the drink down on the table, pushing it towards Hyunggu. 

“I… here you go.”

Hyunggu looked at the drink for 3 seconds before his head snapped up, eyes wide and shiny. Yuto could swear his eyes were actually sparkling.

“How did you-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Yuto said quickly, shaking his head and walking backward to leave before his face could get any redder. But he didn’t miss the shy smile that appeared on Hyunggu’s face before he’d ducked down. Did he just blush? Or was that just cosmetic blush?

..

Hyunggu was sitting on a giant bean bag chair, one that Yuto had ordered especially for this photoshoot. He looked so small, sunk into the chair and he looked quite comfy too, wearing a pair of cute brownish red shorts, coupled with a bright yellow shirt with colorful prints on it. Hyunggu’s makeup looked flawless, orange blush across his cheeks and nose with freckles and his eyelids had the tiniest shimmer on them that made him look angelic. Yuto was trying not to pay too much attention to the pink gloss on his lips but they reflected light like actual glass, making that pretty impossible. Even without the gloss, Hyunggu’s lips were a show stopper but now just…  _ oof.  _ But it was fine. Yuto was a professional.

They had already taken two other sets of pictures in different clothes on different sets and with slightly different makeup, most of them standing or having Hyunggu lean onto something, and some lying down. Now they were going to take some shots of him seated and some close-ups. 

“Alright Kino-ssi, I need you to look straight into the lens for the closeups,” Yuto said with a quick smile while he changed lenses and then walked closer.

“Okay,” Hyunggu replied, his eyes following Yuto.

Hyunggu’s eyes did not leave his as Yuto made final quick changes to Hyunggu’s position and posture. Now that they were much closer Yuto could smell a sweet fragrance; sweet and fresh, much like the owner. God, he smelled so good Yuto almost didn’t want to move. Their eyes locked as Yuto walked two steps back. Hyunggu was looking at him with those sharp, piercing eyes that Yuto had come to be familiar with over the last few weeks, but now he felt like he knew nothing. Hyunggu’s gaze was ten times more piercing face to face. It almost felt like he wanted to eat him.

The photographer lifted his camera closer to his face, eyes still locked with the model. When half of Yuto’s face went hidden behind the camera he thought he could finally breathe, but he was wrong. Hyunggu’s eyes followed his, even through the lens. Well — Hyunggu was following his instruction,  _ looking straight into the lens _ _ — _ but it felt like Hyunggu was seeing into his soul, even with the camera lens between them.

Hyunggu was a natural in front of the camera, barely needed any instructions, and Yuto liked giving his models space to do their own thing. People looked their most beautiful when they were comfortable, he always said. And Hyunggu looked completely at ease, his movements fluid as he shifted positions; he looked good in every shot. He would hum to the music between shots, closing his eyes and his head would sometimes sway to the beat softly, completely unbothered by all the lights being projected on him and his makeup artist who would step in every few minutes to powder his face or reapply that damn lip gloss. Yuto took more than a couple of shots of him when he was in his own world. Choosing the final shots was going to be really difficult.

“We’re almost done,” Yuto announced before walking behind Hyunggu on the bean bag. “I thought an upside down shot would be cool.”

“Oh! Yeah sure,” Hyunggu nodded enthusiastically, moving further down into the chair so he could lean his head back further and repositioned his leg for the camera.

Yuto brought his camera up to his face and looked through the viewfinder, he just needed to turn Hyunggu’s face just the tiniest bit to the left and maybe lower his head just a little bit more. His left hand let go of the camera and moved towards the model’s face before he could stop himself. It was a light touch, just the tip of his finger guiding Hyunggu’s face and the model didn’t resist him at all, eyes locked with his through the lens. Yuto pulled his hand back when he was happy with the angle and snapped a few shots.

And they were officially done. Yuto lowered his camera and let it hang from his neck and just when he was about to announce that it was a wrap, Hyunggu called out to him.

“Wait. can I try something? Just for me.”

“Uh… Sure, what do you wanna do?” Yuto asked, curious about what Hyunggu wanted to try.

“What we just did but uh…” Hyunggu was looking at him upside down since they were still in the same position. His left hand rose and found Yuto’s wrist and grabbed it and placed it on the side of his face, almost like Yuto was cupping his cheeks. “Like this. Can we do that?”

Yuto felt his heart rate rise. He looked around to see if anyone had seen this exchange, but everyone (save from Wooseok who was in charge of the lights) was busy with their phones. Yuto should’ve refused because this made no sense, and they would have no use for it (and what did Hyunggu mean by ‘for himself’? Why would he want or need a picture of himself with Yuto’s hand on his face?) and that Yuto needs both hands to hold the camera. That’s one of the first lessons you learn in photography classes, never hold the camera with one hand. But Yuto was weak and Hyunggu was already in position and his eyes looked a little hooded and he looked so  _ good _ that it would be illegal not to take his picture like this.

“Okay,” Yuto finally said, his voice coming out deeper than usual. 

He angled Hyunggu’s face with a few light touches and only took his hand away to position his camera against his face before placing it back against the side of Hyunggu’s face again. Yuto was barely touching him, just the tip of his fingers against the side of Hyunggu’s chin — his hand was more hovering than actually touching the model’s face — but he could still feel the heat radiating off of his skin. If he was being honest, it did look pretty nice, his hand against Hyunggu’s cheek, almost touching, but not really. He took a few shots, just to be sure at least one turned out alright, since he was doing it with one hand. Hyunggu sat up as soon as he lowered his camera. Yuto carefully glanced towards his assistant and found him looking very neutral, but Yuto knew it was just until Hyunggu and his team left. He would never hear the end of this, but right now Wooseok was doing a really good job with controlling his facial expressions. 

“It’s a wrap! Good job everyone, you worked hard,” Yuto announced after clearing his voice, hoping he didn’t sound as flustered as he felt.

..

“So… are we gonna talk about what happened?” Wooseok asked, exactly five minutes after Hyunggu and his team left for the night, when they had just started to sort things out before leaving as well.

“What do you mean?” Yup, denial. That’s Yuto’s plan.

Wooseok gave him a look from where he was putting the softbox back into the corner where they kept it when it wasn’t being used. Yuto shook his head, not budging.

“The hand thing? Are we just going to ignore that it happened?”

“Yes it happened, but I just don’t understand why you’re making a big deal out of it. The model wanted to try something and we did. End of story.” Which was true, but Yuto knew he wasn’t convincing anyone — himself included.

“Yeah, sure, that’s all it was,” Wooseok rolled his eyes and went back to his work, dropping the subject thankfully. He knew better than to push Yuto when he didn’t want to talk about something. It was one of the things Yuto liked and respected about him. He knew when to push and when not to. But he still had a weird feeling in his gut that this wasn’t over.

The photographer walked to the giant stupid bean bag. What was he even going to do with it? He didn’t want to sell it already, but he doubted he’d ever use it again. Maybe he could take it home, it looked comfortable enough. Yuto bent down to pick the thing up when he noticed something on it, in the dip left where Hyunggu was previously sitting. He carefully looked around to make sure Wooseok wasn’t watching, because he didn’t want to reopen that can of worms again tonight. Then, he reached out and took it. It was the paper cup holder from the drink he’d bought for Hyunggu, and it was folded.

011 xxxx xxxx

Send me the pix plzzzz (*^_^*)

H

Fuck.

“He left his number, didn’t he?” Wooseok said, his voice breaking the silence and bringing Yuto down from his cloud. He was probably staring at the paper for too long. Just staring, trying to figure out what it meant. Well, it was Hyunggu’s number and he left it because he wanted his special photos, the ones he requested. No other reasons, surely.

“Hey, you there? Should I call 119?”

“No!” Yuto shook himself, physically and mentally, out of whatever daze he was stuck in for however many minutes had passed. “I’m.. it’s nothing. Really.”

“Mhmm,” Wooseok hummed, like he was tired of Yuto’s shit and didn’t really care. Which was good. Not permanent, but good.

Yuto silently folded the paper and put it in the pocket of his pants. He’d deal with it later. He’d have to check the photos and edit them before sending them to Hyunggu anyway, so there was no reason to stress about it right now.

Later that night when Yuto finally got home he took the folded paper out of his pocket. Now he could finally take it in without worrying about someone hovering over his shoulder.

Hyunggu had a neat handwriting. Cute, even. Especially with the emoticon he had drawn. Yuto wondered if Hyunggu wrote it in front of his team or he did it when no one was around — _ if he asked for a pen and maybe got teased because he was leaving his number for the photographer _ — Yuto had to stop himself before his imaginative brain got ahead of itself. He saved the number in his contacts, checking at least five times to make sure he didn’t get a digit wrong. He didn’t want to send some random person pictures of Hyunggu with his hand on his face, goddammit.

But he didn’t throw the paper away. Unable to decide where to keep it, Yuto left it on the counter and went to his room to take a quick shower (preferably cold) and then go straight to bed. He was exhausted — mentally and physically — and he didn’t even want to think about tomorrow, when he was going to be looking at Hyunggu’s pictures for hours. 

..

Yuto was right. Almost all of the shots were good, in his professional and  _ completely _ unbiased opinion. With Wooseok’s help, they’d chosen 35 shots and got to work. They’d need to do some editing, then send them off to the agency for final approval. They only needed 25 pictures, but Yuto always liked to prepare extra, just in case the client didn’t completely agree with his selection; which had never happened yet, but it was still a good habit.

“So, did you text him?” Yuto almost choked on his tea at Wooseok’s sudden question. It was out of nowhere. He didn’t say or even mentioned anything about the events of the previous day all morning and now all of a sudden?

“What? No?”

“Why not?”

“Why would I? The pictures aren’t ready yet and I didn’t even have them with me?” his reply came out like a question when it really shouldn’t have and it was just going to make it worse.

“Are you really that dense?” Wooseok asked with a completely straight face and looked him dead in the eyes. Yuto felt like a deer in a headlight. 

“Ex..excuse me?” Yuto felt his tongue twist on itself somehow.

“Dude…he wasn’t… he was flirting with your dumb ass. The whole hand thing, and then leaving his number. This is the equivalent of asking for someone’s notes in college and getting their number to exchange notes,” Wooseok broke it down, moving his hands enthusiastically (more like annoyed) for more emphasis.

“I… not to say I don’t believe you but, why?” Yuto asked, not meeting Wooseok’s eyes. He knew he wasn’t good at this stuff. Flirting, dating, any of it. He was awkward back in Japan during high school. He was the weird kid, too tall and too thin, no friends. He wasn’t a good student grade-wise but he wasn’t a trouble maker either so he didn’t fit in any group. And then in college in Korea, he was a loner because his Korean wasn’t that good and he was finally getting his shit together and studying his ass off because he’d finally found his passion. He only dated 3 people for a couple of months each in college but they all ended because he didn’t have the time and the energy for a relationship and didn’t really click with them. Sure he was a lot better now, his Korean near perfect and he wasn’t a stressed college student anymore. He met people through work but nothing lasting or serious and definitely nothing recently.

The younger let out a frustrated huff. “I don’t know, maybe because you’re attractive? And you went out of your way to- actually I went out of my way to get that freaky drink and you got all the credit for it.”

“Hey! I paid for it.”

“Okay, the drink you went out of your way to send me to get. The point is, he likes you and you’re an idiot.”

“Thanks,” Yuto said dryly.

“You’re welcome. So when are you gonna text him?” Wooseok asked expectantly, resting his chin on his palm waiting for Yuto’s answer.

“I can’t…” Yuto rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the desk to avoid looking at the younger and seeing the annoyed look he definitely had on his face right now.

“Why the hell not?” the younger threw his head back onto the back of the chair in frustration. 

“Because he’s still my client.  _ If  _ I’m ever going to… move forward with this, it has to be after we’re done with the project,” Yuto said, giving the younger a half shrug, trying to sound less gloomy as he actually felt. There were some lines he was not going to cross. Ever.

“Okay but… technically, his agency is your client now since you’re done with the parts that actually involved him physically,” even for Wooseok that was a weak argument. “Plus, if you wait that long he might take it as a rejection and you will lose your chance.”

That was true. If Hyunggu really was flirting with him, leaving him hanging for that long (about a couple of weeks depending on how the agency was going to like their initial spread) would send the wrong message. Yuto could message him and explain the situation and ask if he was willing to wait, but if this was a misunderstanding and Hyunggu really just wanted the pictures it would be really awkward.

Why did everything have to be so damn complicated in Yuto’s life?

..

Yuto ended up texting Hyunggu that night. He couldn’t think about Hyunggu’s sulky pouty face and he did not want to be a reason for Hyunggu to be upset. So he worked on the hand pictures (that’s what they were calling them, for convenience and Wooseok teasing him) so he would have a reason to text Hyunggu. He opened his kkt and went through his contact looking for the newly added contact. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for since the contact would show up with the name Hyunggu has chosen for his kkt and not the one Yuto has saved his contact as in his phone. His finger stopped scrolling at the unfamiliar contact his eyes caught.

_ 귀엽고~*^_^*~  _

Yuto felt his cheeks hurt from smiling. Cute indeed. And his profile picture was an even cuter selfie with a filter that added anime blush on his cheeks and snowflakes around him.

He opened a chat before he got too distracted looking at Hyunggu’s picture. It was a little past 8:30 pm and Yuto didn’t want to text him too late. It would feel inappropriate.

**Me**

Kino-ssi, hello.

I hope this isn’t a bad time.

I’ve prepared the photos you wanted. Let me know if you want them printed.

[picture attached] [picture attached]

  1. Yuto



8:34 PM

Yuto didn’t wait for a reply since he wasn’t an impatient teenager and Hyunggu might not see his texts immediately due to being busy and possibly getting a lot of texts. Instead, he went to the kitchen and got started with his dinner. He even thought he’d make 3 portions and freeze the extra portions for lazy nights. But he left his phone close by and made sure it wasn’t on silent.

So he might have jumped a little and almost dropped the spatula when his phone let out a high pitched sound and vibrated on the counter. It was fine, it wasn’t like anyone could see him.

**귀엽-고~*^_^*~**

Hiiii

Please call me Hyunggu! Plus we’re the same age so please let’s talk comfortably ^^

Omg!!!! I love them!!!! 

I would love them printed if it’s not too much trouble...(/ε＼*)

8:49 PM

Yuto didn’t know it was possible to text cutely but apparently, Hyunggu was a master of it. And he used Japanese emoticons instead of regular emojis which made Yuto feel warm inside.

**Me**

Oh, sure. Hyunggu-ssi.

No trouble at all. I think 8x12 inches would be a good size for print. Is that okay with you?

8:51 PM

**귀엽-고~*^_^*~**

Yes!!! It’s perfect!!

Thank you Yuto-san~

8:52 PM

Before Yuto could come up with a reply (and get over the fact that Hyunggu called im Yuto-san) another text came .

**귀엽-고~*^_^*~**

You know, when the agency told me I’ll be working with a famous Japanse photographer for this project I kinda thought you’d be a middle-aged man(ᗒᗨᗕ)

But I looked you up and when I found that you’re the same age as me (and quite handsome hehe) I was really excited to meet you!

Did you know we were born only four days apart??? How cool is that?

8:53 PM

God… Hyunggu was making it so hard for Yuto to keep this professional until they were done with their project. How was he supposed to reply to that?

**Me**

Well, according to Wooseok (my tree-like assistant) I act like old men sometimes, so you weren’t that wrong :)))

Working with you was an honor. I hope you will be satisfied with the final work.

Goodnight Hyunggu-ssi.

8:55 PM

  
  
  


Now Yuto had to pray to whoever was running this mess of a universe to let Hyunggu not be upset and take this as a rejection. But Yuto wasn’t that optimistic. Hyunggu’s reply came a few minutes later as a simple Thank you and goodnight. No emoticons.

Well. He couldn’t even blame Hyunggu. Hopefully, he would understand when Yuto explained his reasons after they were done with the project. But that was if Yuto found it in himself to reach out again.

..

Yuto didn’t hear from Hyunggu again. What he did hear though, was Wooseok’s non-stop nagging and expressing his disappointment in him. He was used to it after a week and a half Yuto could almost block Wooseok’s voice and pretend it was just background noise when he groaned about how stupid he is for blowing his chance with Hyunggu because of  _ work ethics.  _ Wooseok said the phrase like it was the dumbest thing in the world and sometimes Yuto thought he was right. Times like when he was looking at Hyunggu’s picture while editing them and remembering the way Hyunggu stared at him. But he would shake himself off and remind himself that his work ethics were the most important and he wanted- needed to keep his personal matters separate from his career. He had worked too hard to get here and he couldn't risk jeopardizing it over something that might not even work.

..

Twelve long days passed. Twelve days of having to stare at Hyunggu’s face for hours almost every day. Thank god Yuto had other projects (small but still) to keep his minds, and eyes off Hyunggu’s project from time to time. After a dozen exchanges of emails and phone calls in the meantime, discussing details and finalizing everything with the agency he had to meet them for the last time in their company. It was mostly to sign a few documents for the legal matters and to discuss a few more details. Yuto, of course, preferred to do it all by email but unfortunately, sometimes he had to physically be there mostly as a courtesy. He wasn’t particularly looking forward to this one because he was dreading meeting Hyunggu, even though he wouldn’t be in the meeting and according to Wooseok it was a fairly large company and the chances of them accidentally running into each other was slim they weren’t zero. And in all honesty, Yuto wasn’t good at this stuff. Awkard encounters.

When the meeting ended in less than 15 minutes, Yuto thought maybe God didn’t hate him as much Yuto thought he did. He packed his notes and documents and hurriedly stuffed them into his briefcase (that he rarely ever used) and left the conference room after saying goodbye and bowing to everyone. He was texting Wooseok, telling him that the meeting was over and asking if Wooseok wanted anything when he felt something, or rather someone, walked straight into his chest and two phones fell onto the ground, one making more noise than the other. Yuto took a step back, shocked and a little bit annoyed just to find none other than Kang Hyunggu standing in front of him mirroring his expression that melted away as soon as he saw it was Yuto and was replaced with… sadness? Disappointment? Yuto couldn’t pinpoint.

“Yuto-ssi?”

“Hyunggu-ssi…” As soon as the name left Yuto’s mouth he mentally slapped himself for calling Hyunggu by his real name. It felt wrong after…. Whatever happened. 

“You had a meeting here?” Hyunggu asked, the tension palpable in the air.

“Ah… yes. Hopefully the last one,”  _ What the actual fuck? Why did I say that? _

“Um….Oh,” Hyunggu suddenly bent down to pick up their hopefully not broken and almost forgotten phones from the floor and Yuto noticed Hyunggu’s phone didn’t make much of a sound when it hit the ground because it had one of those huge jelly phone cases with bunny ears that were as big is the phone. 

“Thanks,” Yuto took his phone from Hyunggu, putting it in his pocket without checking if it was broken. “I… didn’t know you’d be in the company,” Yuto thought he should really stop talking. He kept making everything worse.

“I was on my way out actually. I had to see my physician here for a consultation,” Hyunggu replied with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. It was one of those polite smiles the cashiers give you when you’re shopping at the end of their shift. He then pointed at the elevator that was just a few steps away from them and already on their floor and they started walking together.

Great. From an awkward conversation in the hallway to an awkward silence in the elevator. Yuto wasn’t going to say anything else, so he just nodded in acknowledgment as they both stepped inside the elevator. They both reach for the G button at the same time but Yuto was closer so Hyunggu pulled his hand back and took a step away to stand on the other corner. This whole situation was killing Yuto and he wanted to be out of it as soon as possible. The fact that Hyunggu was barefaced and looking no less beautiful than with professional makeup was not helping. Sure he had dark circles (just a little) and his skin wasn’t as perfect as you’d see in the picture but it all just added to his natural beauty. He looked human. A very beautiful, and possibly tired and annoyed human.

When the elevator dinged and announced that they were on the Ground floor, Yuto turned towards Hyunggu and bowed quickly.

“Have a nice day,” he said and walked out of the elevator at normal speed, walking normally, even though he wanted to run at full speed. He bet he could beat his own record if he ran right now. 

He had taken only 5 steps when Hyunggu called his name from behind him, his voice small, almost like he hoped Yuto wouldn’t hear. But Yuto did hear and he stopped and turned around on a reflex.

“Yes?” 

“Um… can we talk?” The model asked, fiddling with his fingers.

Only then Yuto finally looked at Hyunggu. He looked so small wearing a long padded winter coat with a cable knit sweater underneath and loose Jeans. The sleeves of the coat were a little too long and covering Hyunggu’s hand to the knuckles, leaving just his fingers out was the most adorable thing Yuto had ever seen.

“Of course.”

They went to a cafe near the company building, Hyunggu offered to buy the drinks and Yuto didn’t refuse just because he didn’t want to argue. But he wondered what Hyunggu would get him, since he hadn’t asked him what he wanted. But Hyunggu came back with what Yuto assumed was his regular drink (the same monstrosity of an order Yuto still remembered every word of) and a large iced green tea.

“How did you know?” Yuto asked, not being able to hold back...

“I saw the huge mug with the green tea bag inside in the sink when I went to throw my cup in the trash,” Hyunggu said, the apples of his cheeks blooming red. It could just be the cold though…

“How did you know it was mine?”

“Are you telling me it was your assistant’s?” Hyunggu asked in a playful tone, which felt like a breath of fresh air after all the awkwardness.

“No,” Yuto shook his head, a smile creeping on his lips without him realizing.

“Anyway, um… I wanted to talk to you and,” Hyunggu started, his voice shaking just the slightest but he cleared his throat and continued. “And to apologize.”

_ What? _

“I acted unprofessionally and made you uncomfortable and — ”

Yuto’s brain finally sent the signals from his brain to his mouth and he interrupted Hyunggu.

“ — What?”

“I’m really sorry. I know I crossed a line. I obviously misjudged the situation and assumed —— ”

“Hyunggu! Stop! What are you talking about? It was me who made things awkward, not you,” Yuto jumped in again. Hyunggu had misunderstood — Yuto really couldn’t blame him, what with the way he had acted — and now he was so angry at himself that he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to form a coherent sentence to explain the situation to Hyunggu.

“But it  _ was _ me! I was the one who asked for the extra photos. And left my number… god, I'm so embarrassed,” the model groaned, hiding his face behind his small palms, still half-covered with the sleeve of his large coat.

“That would be true if I didn’t return your feelings. I could’ve refused to take the pictures. I could’ve thrown your number into the trash, but I saved it and kept the paper cup holder. It’s still on my counter because I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away with your cute handwriting on it. And the emoji!” Yuto said, throwing his hands up. God he really just said all of that huh…

“But then… why..?” Hyunggu asked, confused. As he should be.

“Why did I act like a douche?” Yuto finished the question for him.

“ — I was going to say strange,” the model giggled, hiding his face behind his giant drink.

“Either way. You deserve an explanation. I can’t guarantee that it’ll be a good one… Wooseok has been calling me an idiot non-stop for this and I can’t blame him,” Yuto admitted, rubbing his forehead in an attempt to calm his nerves a little.

“I’ll hear you out and then I’ll judge if it’s a good one or not,” Hyunggu said with a genuine smile which actually managed to calm Yuto down just a little bit. 

“I… well, basically I wanted to wait until we were done with the project so you wouldn’t be my client anymore. I just… I couldn’t do it. I never thought I’d ever get where I am right now and I’ve worked so hard — I’ve seen people lose their career over scandals and… I just couldn’t risk it,” Yuto finally managed to say it all. He wasn’t sure how coherent he was or how unconvinced Hyunggu probably was because he hadn’t dared to look up the whole time, instead staring at his own hands around his cup of iced tea. A few moments later a hand came to rest on top of one of his around the cup, making him look up.

Hyunggu was looking at him with a gentle smile. He didn’t look angry, or disappointed, or even a little annoyed.

“Yuto… why didn’t you just tell me this?”

“Why do you think Wooseok calls me an idiot?”

They both started laughing, Hyunggu’s hands still on top of his: small, soft, and warm.

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure if you were… uhm…” Yuto struggled with finding the right word.

“ — Flirting?” Hyunggu said teasingly, making Yuto blush to his ears.

“Yeah so… I didn’t want to make a fool of myself in case you weren’t…  _ flirting _ ,” Yuto admits. “ — Which is funny because I ended up doing that anyway.”

“Hey… no it’s okay. I understand that, probably better than most. Not wanting to risk losing the career you’ve worked your whole life for,” Hyunggu said with a sad smile. Yuto felt so bad for not trusting Hyunggu and telling him beforehand  _ and _ letting things get to this point.

“I’m sorry, Hyunggu.” Yuto apologized sincerely, hoping he could tell from his tone how honest he was being.

“Don’t apologize; you didn’t do anything wrong,” Hyunggu assured him, his thumb rubbing small circles on Yuto’s knuckles. “Can we just… start over? Now that the project is basically over?”

Yuto nodded, eyes meeting with Hyunggu’s, mirroring his hopeful expression

“I’d like that.”

..

Yuto was a neat person in general, and his house was decorated minimally so he barely had any cleaning to do before Hyunggu came over. He had already bought a ton of snacks, some beer (for himself), and some wine (for Hyunggu) for their movie night. Their first date.

After that day in the cafe, they did start over, and turned out they got along really well and had a lot in common. Due to both of their busy schedules they were mostly texting during the day and sometimes calling late at night, mostly when Hyunggu felt down and lonely and wanted to hear Yuto’s voice. Yuto’s infatuation with Hyunggu only grew as time passed and they got to know each other better every day. It was a little more than two weeks later when they could both find a free night to  _ finally _ go on a date. And, being a couple of nerds, they decided to spend the night watching ghibli movies and cuddling.

Surprisingly, Yuto wasn’t really nervous. At least not until the doorbell rang and he felt his heart drop, excitement starting to bubble up in his belly. He had to physically stop himself from running to get the door. He took a deep breath and peeked out through the peephole, before opening the door to Hyunggu on the other side, holding a bouquet of daisies in front of his face. Hyunggu buying him flowers was the last thing Yuto had expected but here he was, surprising him once again. Yuto couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he greeted him. Hyunggu held the daisies forward with a grin.

“You got me flowers?” Yuto asked, still in disbelief.

“Yeah! They mean ‘new beginnings’, among other things,” Hyunggu said in a playful tone as he handed Yuto the flowers before stepping inside the house.

“They’re beautiful, thank you,” Yuto accepted the flowers and buried his face in them immediately like the dork he was, smelling the earthy scent of the daisies. “But, what are the other meanings?”

“What?”

“You said ‘Among other things’,” Yuto shrugged. 

“Well,” Hyunggu paused to take off his giant goat and hung it on the hanger near the entrance. “They also symbolize innocence and motherhood.”

“Huh,” Yuto nodded, a little stunned. They walked to the living room.

“Yup. Congratulations on having a baby. I’m the baby,” Yuto blinked twice before falling over and laughing his heart out. Hyunggu started giggling beside him. “I can’t believe you found it that funny.”

“Oh my god, I can’t breathe….” You said mid laughing and then started coughing. Maybe he should get some water.

“Please stop before you choke,” Hyunggu patted his back gently, guiding them both to sit on the couch.

“Sorry, that was just. Really funny,” Yuto said a little out of breath. 

“You have a cute laugh,” Hyunggu giggled, hiding behind his small hands. “Like, your voice is all deep when you speak and then you start laughing and turn into a seal..” 

“Hey!” Yuto feigned annoyance, but he couldn’t hold back the smile that seemed to not want to leave his face whenever he was talking to Hyunggu.

“Are we gonna watch a movie or what?” Hyunggu clapped his hands but they barely made a sound since he had sweater paws,  _ again _ . Yuto could cry from how cute Hyunggu’s hands were with the sweater half covering them.

“Yes. but which one? We never decided…”

“Should we say it at the same time?” Hyunggu suggested. In the end, they couldn’t lose because they were both nerds who loved every single Ghibli movie. 

“Okay, 1, 2, 3... Howl’s moving castle!”

“Howl’s moving castle,” they said at the same time and then started giggling.

“You put the movie on and I’ll get the snacks,” Yuto said, pointing at the remote control for Hyunggu. 

Yuto walked into the kitchen and put the paper package of the popcorn into the microwave. He didn’t make it beforehand because he knew Hyunggu, like himself, liked fresh hot popcorn. The popping sound was really satisfying and the buttery smell was filling the air.

“Oh my god you’re making fresh popcorn?” Hyunggu called from the living room, sounding like an overexcited kid.

“Of course,” Yuto called back. He filled a glass of red wine for Hyunggu and opened a bottle of beer for himself and went back to the living room. Hyunggu had gotten comfortable, pulling the blanket Yuto had folded and put on the armrest over his legs that were folded under him on the sofa.

“You’re spoiling me…,” Hyunggu said as his eyes fell on the glass of wine in Yuto’s hand. 

Yuto just smiled and watched as Hyunggu swirled the drink a few times before taking a sip. Watching as Hyunggu’s eyes went wide.

“You remembered my favorite wine?” Hyunggu asked, in awe.

“Hyunggu, I memorized your favorite coffee order that was like 30 words,” Yuto chuckled.

“Fair point.”

Watching movies with Hyunggu turned out to be much more fun than Yuto had imagined. They shared snacks and talked about every scene’s details and exchanged theories while laughing. Hyunggu’s laugh was lighting up the whole house and Yuto did not mind it one bit.

At one point Hyunggu’s head found its way onto Yuto’s shoulder while Hugging Yuto’s arm tightly near the ending of the movie. Yuto felt him sniffing and slightly shaking.

“Hey, Hyunggu? Are you crying?” Yuto asked softly, not wanting Hyunggu to feel embarrassed in case he was crying.

Hyunggu’s grip on his arm tightened and he pushed his face further into Yuto’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry… I’m such a crybaby…” Hyunggly mumbled against Yuto’s hoodie, his voice muffled into the fabric.

“No, no…” Yuto shook his head, wrapping his free hand around Hyunggu’s shoulder and rubbing his back gently as the model cried silently. Yuto wasn’t good with words.

When Hyunggu pulled back after a minute or two — the movie was almost over with Howl and Sophie getting their happy ending. Hyunggu looked up to meet Yuto’s eyes, his own puffy and his nose slightly red, looking annoyed, probably with himself. Yuto brushed his bangs off of his forehead, then cupped Hyunggu’s cheek and wiped the tears away gently with his thumb. He suddenly got the urge to kiss Hyunggu’s nose and — before he could stop himself — he was leaning in and doing exactly that.

When he pulled back, Hyunggu was looking at him with his sparky cat eyes, his puffy cheeks dusted pink and he looked so incredibly beautiful.

“Yuto?”

“Yeah?”

“Will you kiss me?” and why wouldn’t he? So he did, instead of answering.

Hyunggu’s lips were softer than they looked, a little salty from the popcorn with a hint of the sourness of the wine but also so,  _ so _ sweet because it was Hyunggu, and drinking poison from his lips would taste as sweet as honey. Hyunggu melted into the kiss, a soft hum leaving his throat. Yuto rubbed his thumb over Hyunggu’s cheek and felt him smile against his lips. He couldn’t think of anything cheesier than kissing Hyunggu with Howl’s Moving Castle’s ending OST playing in the background.

Hyunggu unwrapped his arms from around Yuto’s in order to wind them around the photographer’s neck instead and pulled him closer. Yuto gasped, making his lips part and giving Hyunggu the perfect opportunity to deepen the kiss. Unlike what Yuto expected, Hyunggu’s kisses were soft, sweet and unhurried. Even when the model started nipping at his lips, trying to get him to open up, it didn’t feel intense or fiery. Instead, it felt warm and sweet like hot chocolate, warming up Yuto’s insides and making the butterflies in his stomach go wild.

“Hyunggu,” Yuto pulled back breathless and hot, his lips tingling from the intoxicating kiss.

“Yes? Hyunggu looked so pretty under the soft light of the living room, mostly lit by the light coming off the TV, his eyes slightly hooded, his lips kiss swollen and shiny. 

Yuto didn’t care that it was too soon or that it was the first time they were hanging out. He couldn’t keep this in anymore.

“Will you be my boyfriend?” he finally let out, his voice coming out breathy and shaky, but he felt a release from finally speaking his heart.

A smile spread on Hyunggu’s lips until he was grinning from ear to ear, showing off his perfect teeth.

“Only if you can say my coffee order right again.”

Yuto would never forget Hyunggu’s coffee order, even if he tried for a hundred years.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked it :') please let me know your thoughts??? kudos and comments are are loved and appreciate <3  
> also find me on tumblr @Hyunubear ;)
> 
> Thank you miss Hannah for betaing this mess <333333  
> Happy meow year


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